Duck Dynasty doesn’t do a lot for my brain, but it sure does a lot for the soul. I think that is why it connects. I think many people are so thirsty for something good, to stand for something.
That’s what probably explains it in the end. Personally, I’ve never quite cared for the whole weird reality-show genre, with their strange, self-conscious contrivances... pretending a camera isn’t there recording everything, the in-studio self-commentaries, etc. It’s a bit of a barrier for me to get beyond. Not to mention, the genre itself is full of some of the worst junk that television has to offer.
But, getting to “Duck Dynasty,” its episodes follow a lot of familiar, old-hat themes. Its pre-conceived plots/themes are almost akin to old-time shows like “I Love Lucy” or “The Honeymooners.” Which also, many people find too doggedly familiar for interest, and might turn some people off, who don’t stick with it. But where DD really starts striking gold in the humor department is in the ‘character’ comedy. There will be subtle little bits or throwaway lines or incidents that come out of left field, based on the individual eccentricities of the characters. That’s where some pretty solid, sharp humor comes from.
But then, to add the element of values, religion, and culture into the mix, and it obviously starts connecting on a much deeper level than your average tv-fare. That’s why the attacks on Phil and the series come across just as much as a ‘personal’ attack on the fans/viewers. The viewers’ culture is being attacked. Their values. Their very identities. By the usual crowd of scumbag lefty elites, who don’t have any idea what they started. They think they’re on one of their usual PC crusades, but they have invited a fistfight in an alley. Because this time, it’s “personal.”